ISOSU: Hmong culture: a deeper look
Kimberly Moua
Issue date: 1/15/08 Section: Forum
Have you ever been mistaken for someone you're not? Growing up as kid, if you were Hmong, you were always questioned on your race.
"Are you Chinese? Are you from Mongolia since you're 'Hmong?'"
"No, I'm not Chinese - I'm Hmong," is a repeated answer all Hmong people reply.
Answering that you were Hmong always led to the conversation of where Hmong people come from. The fact is, Hmong people don't have a country. Hmong people don't have any written documents of their history. The only written documents of Hmong people are found in the history books from the countries of China, Korea and Vietnam.
From all the history books and even to this day, you can find Hmong people in the mountains of Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, among other countries. Hmong people are scattered all over the world, but the hugest populations are in the U.S., Canada, France, Australia, Laos, Thailand and even Africa.
Today, the highest populations of Hmong people in the U.S. are located in California and Minnesota. There are over 2,100 Hmong people living in Oregon, and 54 of them go to OSU.
The main differences between Hmong people and the many other Asian races are the differences in their clothing and their language. There is one main language for Hmong people with two different dialects. The two different dialects are called the "white" Hmong and the "green" Hmong. The difference is the same as if a person from the South was to talk to a person from the North. Though the dialects are completely different, a Hmong person can understand both.
Within the Hmong community, a person's last name is the main difference that distinguishes them from one clan to another.
The most popular last name for Hmong people is Vang, while other Hmong names are Vue, Moua, Xiong, Lee, Yang, Khue, Lor, Her, Cha and so on. There are primarily 10 main Hmong last names, with the exceptions of names such as Cha being turned in to Chang and Her being equivalent to Hang.
"Are you Chinese? Are you from Mongolia since you're 'Hmong?'"
"No, I'm not Chinese - I'm Hmong," is a repeated answer all Hmong people reply.
Answering that you were Hmong always led to the conversation of where Hmong people come from. The fact is, Hmong people don't have a country. Hmong people don't have any written documents of their history. The only written documents of Hmong people are found in the history books from the countries of China, Korea and Vietnam.
From all the history books and even to this day, you can find Hmong people in the mountains of Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, among other countries. Hmong people are scattered all over the world, but the hugest populations are in the U.S., Canada, France, Australia, Laos, Thailand and even Africa.
Today, the highest populations of Hmong people in the U.S. are located in California and Minnesota. There are over 2,100 Hmong people living in Oregon, and 54 of them go to OSU.
The main differences between Hmong people and the many other Asian races are the differences in their clothing and their language. There is one main language for Hmong people with two different dialects. The two different dialects are called the "white" Hmong and the "green" Hmong. The difference is the same as if a person from the South was to talk to a person from the North. Though the dialects are completely different, a Hmong person can understand both.
Within the Hmong community, a person's last name is the main difference that distinguishes them from one clan to another.
The most popular last name for Hmong people is Vang, while other Hmong names are Vue, Moua, Xiong, Lee, Yang, Khue, Lor, Her, Cha and so on. There are primarily 10 main Hmong last names, with the exceptions of names such as Cha being turned in to Chang and Her being equivalent to Hang.
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